1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a cooling system, and more particularly, to a cooling system with a power saving function and a projection apparatus having the cooling system.
2. Descriptions of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cooling system 10 in a conventional projector. The cooling system 10 uses a thermoelectric cooler (TEC) to dissipate heat generated during the operation of the projector. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional cooling system 10 comprises a thermoelectric cooler 14 and a heat dissipating module 16. The thermoelectric cooler 14 is disposed at the first side of a heat source 12, while the heat dissipating module 16 is disposed at the second side of the thermoelectric cooler 14 opposite to the heat source 12. The heat source 12 may be a light source consisting of light emitting diodes (LEDs) in the projector or other elements tending to generate intense heat in the projector. The heat dissipating module 16 may be a heat sink fin set, a heat sink fin set installed with heat pipes, a liquid cooling device or a condensing cooling device.
During the operation of the aforesaid conventional projector, the heat source 12 may generate extremely intense heat. In such a case, the user has to initiate the thermoelectric cooler 14 to assist the heat dissipating module 16 in cooling the heat source 12, such that the heat dissipating efficiency of the heat dissipating module 16 may be improved. Recently, in regards to the common thermoelectric cooler 14, the heat conduction principle thereof is to dissipate heat by means of a temperature difference between the cold and hot end of a semiconductor after being powered on. The operation of the thermoelectric cooler 14 requires the consumption of a great amount of power. Moreover, when the thermoelectric cooler 14 is turned off, the thermoelectric cooler 14 presents great thermal resistance instead of becoming a poor heat conductor. As a result, for the purposes of heat dissipation, conventional projectors with a thermoelectric cooler must, during the operation, continuously consume a large amount of electric power to keep the thermoelectric cooler operating while assisting the heat dissipating module 16 in dissipating heat. Accordingly, the consumption of a large amount of electric power is not desired in the current market of saving power and protecting the environment.